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Feedback on the findings of the Comprehensive Assessment of Local Government iLembe District “family” of Municipalities with special focus on the Ndwedwe Local Municipality Comprehensive Assessment Outline • The assessment focused on challenges in the following areas: – Political stability; – Political-Administrative interface; – Public Participation; – Council Oversight; – Financial Management; – Cooperative Governance; and – Service Delivery Data Collected • The interviews were based on a set of 120 questions developed by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs directed to different stakeholder groupings. These included: – Political Stakeholders: Mayors, Speakers, EXCOs, Councils and political party caucus Chairpersons – Administrative Stakeholders: Municipal Managers, Section 57 Managers, and trade unions representatives – Community Stakeholders: Amakhosi, Ward Committees, CDWs, Rate Payers Associations, and other civic society organisations; and – Business representatives District Profile District Profile MUNICIPAL COUNCIL PROFILE POPULATION WARDS GRADING NUMBER OF COUNCILLORS COUNCIL EXCO FULLTIME Ilembe 528 199 66 4 29 5 6 Mandeni 122 665 16 3 32 6 1 KwaDukuza 162 055 20 4 40 13 9 Ndwedwe 134 322 19 2 37 7 2 Maphumulo 109 157 11 2 21 4 1 District Profile MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION PROFILE MUNICIPALITY NO. OF STAFF SECTION 57 MANAGER POSTS SECTION 57 POSTS FILLED CDWS CREDIBILITY OF IDP (%) Ilembe 327 6 5 30 89 Mandeni 151 5 4 8 74 KwaDukuza 764 6 6 4 89 Ndwedwe 60 4 3 10 71 Maphumulo 39 2 2 8 63 District Profile MUNICIPAL FINANCE PROFILE MUNICIPALITY TOTAL AUDITED INCOME 07/08 MIG 08/09 MIG 09/10 AG REPORT 06/07 AG REPORT 07/08 Ilembe 193 710 816 86 620 816 105 095 496 Qualified Qualified Mandeni 90 099 523 11 233 583 15 191 103 Qualified Unqualified KwaDukuza 431 821 785 15 890 134 20 744 357 Unmodified Unqualified Ndwedwe 42 293 813 10 662 790 14 510 395 Unmodified Unqualified Maphumulo 17 727 069 8 690 852 12 158 724 Qualified Qualified GOVERNANCE – RELATIONSHIPS • The ANC is the ruling party and the IFP the opposition party. • Generally the political relationship is good, but anchored in rivalry. • The relationship between the Mayor and Speaker is good and based on relevant legislation. • There is a written set of delegations, in terms of Section 59 of the Municipal Systems Act between the Offices of the Mayor and the Speaker. • Delegated authority is exercised satisfactorily and there is a written document specifying the roles and responsibilities of all political functionaries and structures, and of the Municipal Manager in terms of Section 53 of the Municipal Systems Act which has been approved by Council. • A Policy on Delegation of Powers has been workshopped and approved by Council. GOVERNANCE – RELATIONSHIPS • Although the relationship between parties represented in the EXCO appears to be cordial, the EXCO was not given an opportunity to express concerns with regard to the suspension of Section 57 employees. • Within Council there is openness and free expression of divergent views by parties. • The relationship between the District and the Local Municipality at political level is good and is characterised by regular communication through IGR Structures. • There are challenges with regard to regulation and formalisation of the relationship between the Political Office Bearers and the Administration. GOVERNANCE COUNCIL SYSTEMS AND PROCEDURES • The relationship between Council and communities is based on a Framework for Community Participation that has been adopted by Council. • EXCO and Council adopt a reviewed IDP Process Plan annually, which sets out all public participation processes/mechanisms. • The Mayor and the Speaker provide strategic leadership in Council and set out monthly programmes to be carried out. A monthly publication has been launched to report progress on the programmes of Council to Councillors, officials, community and other stakeholders. • Although no Community Survey was carried out in the municipality, Ward Committee meetings headed by Councillors and monitored by the Speaker serve this purpose. It is also claimed that the District Municipality undertook such a survey, even though there is no report or evidence in this regard. GOVERNANCE COUNCIL SYSTEMS AND PROCEDURES • The Council does not have a functional Complaint Management System, although it claims to have an ad hoc arrangement in this regard. • Public Participation officials have been appointed to manage Ward Committees. The officials report to the Municipal Manager, who then reports to Council. • Regular feedback meetings are convened by the Speaker’ Office. The officials sit in Ward Committee meetings and provide feedback. • The Council has a dedicated but limited budget for the operational expenses of Ward Committees that covers expenses, training etc. • Traditional Leaders are represented in Ward Committees in the form of a Joint Coordinating Committee, however, the relationship needs refinement. GOVERNANCE COUNCIL SYSTEMS AND PROCEDURES • The municipality has 10 CDW’s that are active in 19 wards. Although the CDW’s are supposed to be managed in the Municipal Manager’s office, their utilisation is a challenge as they are managed, or report to the Provincial Department. There is a concern with regard to the effectiveness of CDW’s being affected by politics. • The extent of the Oversight Role by Councillors in the municipality is limited. The Council has not yet adopted a Framework on Councillor Oversight, although it is currently being developed. • The Administration does not compile monthly Oversight Reports to Council, however, financial reporting is regular. A municipal SCOPA has also not been established and there is still consultation with other municipalities. • There is relative weakness in the role and responsibilities of Councillors in relation to service delivery issues. Some Councillors lack advocacy and communicative skills to report back to the community. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT • The municipality has had unqualified Audit Reports for five years. • A full set of financial policies is in place and being implemented. • There is a dedicated Supply Chain Management unit in place, but there is a challenge in acquiring staff with the appropriate skills. Those outside the municipality perceive the SCM process to be subject to corruption in the awarding of tenders, and this appears to be an area where the municipality could improve its processes. • There appears to be little problem with debtors, bearing in mind the low income base of the municipality. • There is little evidence of income generating strategies, other than burial fees, to ensure financial sustainability SERVICE DELIVERY • The Ndwedwe Local Municipality IDP is aligned to the budget, and to the Ilembe District Municipality’s IDP. • There is close co-operation between the Local and District Municipalities. • This municipality is largely rural, with a small town, and 5 nodal villages. Service delivery is a challenge, with scattered settlements, many of which are in inaccessible locations with severe topography. • Most of the wards have high levels of indigent population and unemployment. • The main challenges are bulk infrastructure, electricity, and job opportunities. SERVICE DELIVERY • The municipality is well supported by the District Municipality, particularly with respect to water provision and sanitation. It is able to spend all of the grant funding it receives on a regular basis. • There is a problem with regard to lack of funding for maintenance of services. • National funding has been received for the town of Ndwedwe, and the formalisation process is nearing completion. This will form the basis for further investment in Ndwedwe. LABOUR RELATED MATTERS • Relationships between management and staff appear to be generally good, particularly on an individual level. • there are differing perceptions about the functioning of the Local Labour Forum. It is alleged that scheduled monthly meetings do not always take place. • There are a number of unresolved issues, including in particular skills development and the allocation of resources. • It appears that the municipality has addressed labour relations issues, but needs to ensure transparency and effective communication in this regard. in the Ilembe “family” POLITICAL STABILITY no of respondents 2 1 0 troika: good relationship Ilembe troika: working relationship Mandeni KwaDukuza Ndwedwe troika: poor relationship Maphumulo Conflict in this regard only appear to be present in in the Maphumulo Municipality. in the Ilembe “family” POLITICAL-ADMINISTRATIVE INTERFACE no of respondents 2 1 0 P-A relationship: good Ilembe P-A relationship: working Mandeni KwaDukuza Ndwedwe P-A relationship: poor Maphumulo Conflict in this regard only appear to be present in in the KwaDukuza and Ndwedwe Local Municipalities that appear to be experiencing moderate challenges. in the Ilembe “family” PUBLIC PARTICIPATION no of respondents 5 4 3 2 1 0 PP Frame: Yes PP Frame: No Ilembe Mandeni C-Comm relationship: good KwaDukuza C-Comm relationship: working Ndwedwe C-Comm relationship: poor Maphumulo It appears as if Participation Frameworks are in place except in KwaDukuza where there are conflicting views. However, majority of respondents indicated that relationships between council and communities are poor in the Ilembe “family” PUBLIC PARTICIPATION CDW relations and CDW linkages to other Ward Structures no of respondents 5 4 3 2 1 0 Muns relationship - Muns relationship - Muns relationship - CDW-WC linkages: CDW-WC linkages: CDW: good CDW: working CDW: poor Not defined Ward Committees Ilembe Mandeni KwaDukuza Ndwedwe Maphumulo All Municipalities are experiencing minor to moderate challenges in this regard. There appear to be tensions in Maphumulo and KwaDukuza municipalities and the major contributing factor appears to be that the linkages of CDWs with other ward structures are not clearly defined. in the Ilembe “family” COUNCIL OVERSIGHT 5 no of respondents 4 3 2 1 0 Oversight Framework: Oversight Framework: Oversight Role: Not Yes No performed/ Performed poorly Ilembe Mandeni KwaDukuza Ndwedwe Oversight Role: Being done Maphumulo The poor response to this section in this District “family” illustrates the weakness of the oversight function within municipalities. Oversight Frameworks seems to be in place in iLembe and Mandeni . in the Ilembe “family” SERVICE DELIVERY: PRIORITY 1 4 no of respondents 3 2 1 0 SD Priority 1.1: Water SD Priority 1.1: Electricity Ilembe Mandeni SD Priority 1.1: LED/ Employment KwaDukuza SD Priority 1.1: Housing Ndwedwe SD Priority 1.1: Other Maphumulo There is no clear consensus but WATER seems to be the 1st priority in the Ilembe “family” SERVICE DELIVERY: PRIORITY 2 no of respondents 3 2 1 0 SD Priority 2.1: Water SD Priority 2.1: Electricity SD Priority 2.1: Sanitation Ilembe Mandeni SD Priority 2.1: Roads KwaDukuza SD Priority 2.1: Housing Ndwedwe SD Priority 2.1: Other SD 2.1 Other: led/ employment/ investment Maphumulo Most respondents indicated SANITATION to be the second priority. in the Ilembe “family” SERVICE DELIVERY: PRIORITY 3 4 no of respondents 3 2 1 0 SD Priority 3.1: Roads SD Priority 3.1: Electricity SD Priority 3.1: Water Ilembe SD Priority 3.1: Sanitation Mandeni SD Priority 3.1: LED/ Employment KwaDukuza Ndwedwe SD Priority 3.1: Social Infrastructure SD Priority 3.1: Housing Maphumulo It appears as if the third priority is HOUSING. SD Priority 3.1: Other in the Ilembe “family” SERVICE DELIVERY PERFORMANCE 6 no of respondents 5 4 3 2 1 0 Muns Performance: Good Ilembe Muns Performance: Average Mandeni KwaDukuza Ndwedwe Muns Performance: Poor Maphumulo Most Municipalities are perceived to perform poorly. The Mandeni, Ndwedwe and Maphumulo Municipalities appears to experience serious challenges in this regard followed by KwaDukuza with moderate challenges. Thank You